In years past, I have occasionally seen new and interesting studies into faith and religion in Russia.. Unexpected approaches. Bold interpretations. Experimental methods for collecting field data. Typically, these are works by young researchers, and quite often, students. I am glad that these works are popping up all over Russia, and are not tethered to a single city or hegemonic institution. But, unfortunately, these works are released, and then disappear without a trace.Who came up with the work, and who was the advisor? … What was the fate of the findings? … Thus, the idea of this contest was born. Let’s give it a try. We will be glad to receive any of your findings, scientific initiatives, and research projects. Please be bold!
PS: Dear professors and advisors!! To you, I have another big request. Young and budding researchers are mobile people. If you know of some recent, interesting research projects, or if one of your students or fellow colleagues made an attempt worthy of scientific attention, please encourage these works to be entered into this contest.

Alina Y. Bagrina,
Ph.D., founder and coordinator of the research organization “Sreda”

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The discussion about the role of faith and religion in Russia in recent years has become particularly relevant. What topics attract the attention of young scientists? How do they explain the modern manifestations of religious and spiritual life? In order to answer these questions and more, the organization “Sreda” announces a Research Contest.

Students, undergraduates, graduate students and graduates from Russian universities under the age of 33 are invited to participate in the Contest.

Works are accepted from the following topics: • Orthodox religion in Russia • Non-Orthodox religions in Russia • New forms of religious and non-religious spirituality in Russia. Comparative and interdisciplinary research is welcomed.

Research can be conducted from the perspective of various social and humanitarian disciplines. All entries must be based on specific field materials.

The Contest is open for works that are written after 2010, in Russian, previously unpublished, and are not being considered for publishing at the time of the Contest; entries can be made individually or in a group. Each work is limited to 15 thousand characters. For details, see Contest Regulations (http://sreda.org/science).

The Contest includes 3 prizes of 30,000 rubles and 5 prizes of 10,000 rubles. Thebest works will be published in a thematic and illustrated collection, and will become part of a larger project called ARENA: Atlas of Religions and Nationalities. Annotations of the most interesting works will be posted on the organizer’s website.

Applications for participation in the Contest

accepted by email until October 15, 2013 at science@sreda.org

Details: On the website of the nonprofit research organization “Sreda”, in the Contest section (http://sreda.org/science), as well as on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sreda.org) and vk.com (http://vk.com/sreda_org). Any questions can be sent to the contest coordinator at science@sreda.org.

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The discussion about the role of faith and religion, and their impact on social processes and social life, has become particularly relevant in recent years. What topics attract the attention of young scientists? How do they explain the various phenomena of spiritual and religious life of modern Russia? In order to answer these questions, the organization “Sreda” announces the Research Contest for young scientists: “Faith and Religion in Contemporary Russia.”

Purpose:

The expansion of scientific reflection on matters of faith and religion in Russia

Objectives:

• To draw attention to new and interesting scientific papers on this topic

• To identify promising new areas of research while conducting field work, and new approaches towards data analysis

• To develop a network of contacts with research organizations and individual researchers interested in questions of faith and religion in contemporary Russia

• To encourage talented young scientists and participate in the formation of the new generation of researchers

We accept papers from the following topics:

• Orthodox religion in Russia

• Non-Orthodox religions in Russia

• New forms of religious and non-religious spirituality in Russia

Comparative and interdisciplinary research is welcomed.

Prizes

The Contest includes 3 prizes of 30,000 rubles and 5 prizes of 10,000 rubles.

The best works will be published in a thematic and illustrated collection.

The best authors will be invited to collaborate with “Sreda”.

You and your work will attract the attention of the Contest’s media partners.

An annotation of the paper (and with the consent of the author – the complete paper) will be published on the website of the contest’s organizer, and the work will be part of a larger project called ARENA: Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia.

Conditions of the Contest:

Students, undergraduates, masters, graduate students, and graduates from Russian universities under the age of 33 years at the start of the contest, are invited to participate in the Contest.

The works submitted to the Contest must apply to the spiritual and religious life of modern Russia. Research can be conducted from the perspective of various social and humanitarian disciplines (sociology, ethnography, philology, anthropology, religious studies, history, folklore studies, cultural studies, etc.). All entries must be based on specific field materials (the results of questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observation, ethnographic field materials, analysis of images and texts, including mass media, the blogosphere, the materials published by religious organizations, etc.). It would be best if your paper is written so that it can be understood by a wide audience.

To participate in the Contest, works must be written after 2010, in Russian, never have been published before, and are not, at the time of submission to the Contest, being considered for publication. Both individual and collaborative papers are accepted for the contest. If the paper is written in collaboration, the prize will be divided equally among all authors.

Papers are accepted in electronic form for the Contest. Papers are limited to 14,000-15,000 characters (including spaces), not including the bibliography. The structure of the paper should include: research methods, the materials on which it is based, the main body of content, the main conclusions, and the bibliography. Illustrative materials should be attached as a separate file.

The best papers will be determined by the members of an expert jury. In assessing the paper, they will take into account the following criteria:

• If it is an interesting concept, and has a logical implementation of the research

• The logic behind the problems presented, the research undertaken, and the discoveries made

By submitting an application to participate in the contest, the Participant warrants that they: (1) agree to the terms of contest; (2) do not infringe on the intellectual property of third parties; (3) do not claim confidentiality for materials presented in the paper; (4) transfer the right for non-commercial use to the Contest’s organizer.

The works will be checked in the “Antiplagiat” system for the enforcement of copyright. For papers submitted to the Contest, the proportion borrowed from other sources should not exceed 20%.

All papers submitted to the Contest will not be returned orreviewed.

List of documents

To participate in the contest, you must submit the following documents:

• The text of the paper

• Participant application form for the contest (see appendix)

• A photograph of the participant (optional)

• Annotation of the paper (no more than 1 page), which should include the main contents of the study and its conclusions. It will represent your paper on the site.

• It would be preferred if you provide the contact information of an advisor and his/her review of the work in the free form (no more than 1 page). The review must be certified with the advisor’s signature, and the seal of their educational institution or research organization. If the work is among the semi-finalists, the Contest organizers may refer to the advisor in regard to the received paper.

Please send all documents to the address: science@sreda.orgby October 15, 2013

Stages and deadlines of the Contest

June 1 – October 15, 2013 – Entries are accepted

October 16 – 31, 2013 – Contest semi-finalists are selected

November 1-14, 2013 – Contest finalists are selected

November 18, 2013 – Announcement of the best papers that will be published in the Contest’s collection

December 18, 2013 – The ceremonial announcement in Moscow of the winners and the presentation of the collection of the best research papers by young scientists.

The Contest’s Founder: The nonprofit research organization “Sreda”

Contact Information:

Contest coordinator: Ksenia Medvedeva

E-mail: science@sreda.org

Detailed information about the contest and a list of papers submitted to the contest are available on the official website of the non-profit research organization “Sreda” in the contest section (http://sreda.org/science), as well as on Facebook (https://www.facebook .com / sreda.org) and vk.com (http://vk.com/sreda_org)

The history of your contest work (when was it written? Is it your thesis? Was it written independently or in a group? Under what discipline is it written? What are the main themes raised in the work?, Etc.)

Field data (Which type of field materials were used in the work (interviews/observational journals?) Where was the field data obtained (in what oblast/city?,Etc.) When was the field data collected, and how much material was analyzed for the contest paper?)

Last name, first name, middle name of the advisor, his (her) degree, position, and institution

Contact information for the advisor [i]

I agree to the publication of the text on the organizer’s website

Yes No With additional agreement

I have read the Contest Regulations and agree to its terms. My contest work does not violate the copyright of a third party’s intellectual property. I do not call for the privacy of the materials presented in the work. I give the right for non-commercial use of the contest work by the Contest organizers.

Additional questions (optional). We would be grateful if you would share your opinion.

How did you learn about this Contest?

Why did you decide to study faith and religion?

Please name a few works by modern scientists, whose research into faith and religion was the most helpful and informative for you.

Why is it useful for society to study faith and religion, using scientific methods?

Do you practice a religion, and if so, which one?

What profession do you hope to have in the future? What kind of job do you think is ideal for you? What do you plan to do in the future?

[I] This information is optional. If the paper is among the semi-finalists, the Contest organizers may refer to the advisor in regard to the received work.

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In her interview to the recerach company “Sreda” Canadian anthropologist religion Sonja Luehrmann said: «I think it is ideal when a religious community is researched by its own adherents as well as outsiders, because they contribute different perspectives and have access to different aspects of community life. ». Did we manage to get it during the research contest “Faith and Religion in Contemporary Russia”? More »

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As we have already written before, we received 173 entry papers for the contest. Many of the research papers were written individually, and some of them were written in a group of 2-3 people. There were 181 participant on the whole. Who are these people, what do we know about them? Which cities are they from, how old are they, where do they work and study? We start answering these and moe questions. More »